for the future of the island. in the meantime, the existing housing and residents are concerned about the quality of life and focused on that. i would be glad to answer any questions. supervisor campos: thank you very much. no questions. if we could now hear from linda richardson. commissioner. good morning. welcome to the rules committee. >> supervisors, good morning, and i am so honored to be up here and before you, as i have done over the years on several different issues in san francisco. i am a longtime community activist with extensive experience in land use and economic development. several decades ago, from a policy and community standpoint, i worked on mission bay with the issues of how we can build a

climate institution in san francisco. my involvement and others' led to the development of the non- profit housing on mission bay. i also worked at the giants stadium. the issue then was about transportation. in san francisco, how do we ensure we have this stadium that will bring thousands of people, and as you can see, that project today is a jewel for the country. my efforts led to the creation of the southern waterfront. in san francisco, when i was selected to work on the project area committee in san francisco, i saw that that person in san francisco was neglected, and i approached the commissioners on the port, and that effort led to the creation of the southern border for today, another fine tool. my work is well known not only to the city of san francisco,

but to other countries. i was the co-founder of the southeast alliance for environmental justice, and health assessment task force. these were nonprofit groups that emerged to address the environmental injustice in the community because of decades of neglect. through my work and the people that i work with, we had major significant improvements to the quality of life for the people in the community. i worked on the light rail. my efforts as the chair of the land use, planning, and transportation of the bayview/hunters point community have lasted 10 years, and we have been instrumental in making sure that our development plan has affordable housing.

we even went beyond the call of duty to define affordable housing, even getting down to the lowest element. that plan, which you all approved after decades of community participation, has some elements that are still being worked on. i need you to know that there are transportation visibility studies that i have been part of. supervisor mar, you mentioned something that i want to underscore here. your issue was how we get the regional transportation atc to be part of regional transportation, and i took the liberty to answer the question. it is very important because when you have a project of the magnitude that we have like this, this is a significant development project in san francisco. they have the regional element

in that. i have used that regional element in the bayview/hunters point plant. the goal was to be part of san francisco and the region. on several occasions, i have invited them to work with us. most transportation improvements we have utilize were funded in collaboration with the ntc. i have had the presence and knowledge to go over issue, whether it be housing, and people also mentioned what i am very particular about in the treasure island development. right now in bayview/hunters point, yours truly is working with the san francisco health department and also the san francisco redevelopment agency. we are creating something that

is the first of its kind. one of the things we learned is that we need to define the variation of these challenges of homeless people. there is a population of homeless. because they love their jobs or whatever, they are homeless. we actually have a population of homeless people that have medical needs, substance abuse, so what we are doing is we actually address the needs of the homeless with substance abuse by asking the city to have caseworkers' that might be able to hold an intervention to make sure that the residents are able to be referred to the appropriate services in san francisco. i'm going to, if i have the opportunity to serve the board -- these are the things i'm going to be looking at. you are looking at someone with over two decades -- over 25 years now -- working for the

department of environmental justice. working to ensure housing. working with local and regional transportation. actually, the person chairing most of the housing elements. i remember at the school board when the opportunity came for us to justify one of our schools. i came to you. i'm going to do that, whether you are supervisors of the district or not. or even if you are no longer on the board. as a san francisco resident, i think this is a san francisco project that everybody needs to be on board because at the end of the day, this is one of the five joules of development. lastly, on the sustainability aspect, you should be pleased that not only did i work on the plan, i was the co-author of

the environmental justice section. this document is invaluable for guidance of development in our history, and it is also a model for the rest of the country. i'm very knowledgeable about that. i worked on that, and i was also commissioner on the conservation of development. my expertise and all i have been doing the last 15 years, in handy for this job as treasure island development, so i would be honored to be considered for that appointment. supervisor campos: thank you very much, commissioner. we will now hear from commissioner jean-paul sama. -- samaha. good morning. welcome back. >> good morning. i'm honored to be here today for reappointment. feels like i was just here. it was about a year ago when i was first appointed to fill out

the term of a former director. this would be my reappointment to a full four-year term. i'm honored that the mayor has chosen to reappointment. -- chosen to reappoint me because there are critical decisions to be made for the future of treasure island. this is a volunteer position, and many of my friends and colleagues have wondered why i would want to spend more time in my busy life -- i'd probably work 80 hours a week. they complain that i never call them, never see them. i have three kids, and they ask why i want to spend more time doing something that is a volunteer position. frankly, my response is very clear. it is that i want to and i want to serve. i love to participate in the

civic discourse in san francisco and give back to my city and my community. i come from a long history of government and civic participation. getting back from the late 1980's when i worked for the late senator ted kennedy, i moved here as a young gay man to san francisco. i was truly honored that the mayor i worked for was here to speak on my behalf. i did not want to call him today because he is a busy man. i work for former supervisor terence hallinan, and was liaison to the board of supervisors for city planning. i have a lot of skills that i bring back from city planning, from public policy, and i am a successful real-estate manager in this economy, so i know how to work with buyers at some of the real estate and with small

builders. i know what makes developments work or not work, and in working daily with my clients, i speak with them about their needs for housing, for location, access to schools, grocery stores, parks, basic services. i came to this country as a young boy from beirut, lebanon, where i saw my city get devastated. the social fabric was torn apart, and this is a great opportunity to be once again part of building a new community while also being mindful that a current community actually exists on treasure island. many people, the current residents, will need to be relocated or compensated. we have reached the proper agreement of our conversation and the location, but i would like to keep up that effort and to continue our dialogue with

the island residents, with the citizens and others as we move forward. finally, let me just say it is so refreshing that i serve on a commission that has not been political. this truly has been a professional commission made up of people who are really devoted to the nuts and bolts of making sure this development works. as we get closer to the realization of this project, important decisions will still need to be made about the housing. how to attract new residents to the island, what to build, how many bedrooms -- are we building family-size housing? the sizes of the unit. who is going to move to this island once it is built? how do we get them on and off the island? how do we maintain the delicate balance of providing adequate open space, parks, by pat, the recreational opportunities, schools, grocery stores,

restaurants, community facilities, and basic services? the next four years will be a crucial time for this commission, and i look forward to being part of this commission and providing my skills and background to make it work. i'm here if you have any questions. thank you. supervisor campos: thank you. if we may now hear from larry del carlo. >> good morning, mr. chairman, members of the rules committee. i think this is the first time i have come before you on my own behalf. i'm usually hear supporting someone else. it is a great opportunity to be here to even be considered for appointment to this important board. just a little bit about myself

-- i was born here in san francisco, raised in the mission district. i currently live in district 1. i currently -- i first became involved in community development and community organizing in 1968 when the san francisco redevelopment agency then demonstrated how they could destroy a neighborhood. it was a shock to us who live in the mission that the bulldozer approach to urban renewal almost destroyed the fillmore, and we knew then that the mission was the next neighborhood on the list for the so-called urban renewal. this is when we began to get scared, first of all, about losing our neighborhood, but we also got smart and reorganized. we organized with labor and churches and community groups to

form an organization to actually stop the urban renewal in the mission district, and that organization was called the mission coalition organization, and i'm proud to say that today, i'm the director of the mission housing development corp, which is one of the organizations that was created out of that fight with the redevelopment agency and is a legacy to mission coalition organizations. after a lot of this work i did in the community in the mission, i was appointed by then mayor alioto to be the director of the model cities program. that was the program that preceded the block grant program and actually transitioned into the community development program.

i was fortunate in 1988 when mayor art agnos gave me the opportunity of my career and appointed me as the executive director of the mayor's office of community development. i was very proud of that, and my focus as director was to work with neighborhoods to create local jobs, to make sure that community facilities like child care centers and boys and girls clubs and ymca's and other neighborhood organizations could continue to thrive. we were able to provide federal funds in order to enhance programs, create new programs, and also to do the capital improvements that were necessary to the older buildings that were at risk of being shut down because of the physical needs. we were able, fortunately, then

to be able to provide several funds to take care of those issues. i did that job for about eight years. maybe nine years. then i went over to the san francisco unified school district when i was asked by the superintendent to help bring a program to san francisco that was nationally called school to work. in california, we've renamed the program from school to work to school to career and college. i was fortunate to be able to work with the various departments and post-secondary institutions in san francisco to create learning opportunities that were project-based that provided paid internships for high school students that actually needed that money to help support the families in order to stay in school because as you know and we all know, and

it is a sad story, but a lot of folks drop out of school, especially latino kids and african-american kids that are trying to help support their brothers and sisters and their families. i'm currently, as i mentioned, the ceo of mission housing development corporation. we are a nonprofit, community- based, affordable housing developer. we have developed about 1200 units of all 100% low-income housing in san francisco. we are very proud of that. as linda richards and mentioned in her presentation, mission housing developed the first affordable housing in mission bay. 100 units of affordable housing with two units set aside for licensed family day care homes and also a number of units set

aside as housing opportunities for people with aids, and this is work that we have done with the redevelopment agency with the mayor's office and other various city departments. i think i have experience that could contribute to the treasure island development board and actually, the development of a new neighborhood in san francisco, which is a really exciting prospect for me to be part of. i know the current members of the board and worked with them over the years. as they have said and i will say, it is very important that the residents who are currently there in treasure island are able to stay there. i would support policies that would provide opportunities for

them to stay there during the development of new housing, making sure that's other housing is developed before we take down the existing housing so they can continue to live on the island and be able to participate in this new neighborhood. i know that there is a very successful collaborative of nonprofit organizations. i know many of them. i look forward to working with them. a lot of the work has been done in terms of building the community-based and the community concepts to move forward with treasure island. as i said, i would like to be able to use whatever experience i have in community development and affordable housing development to make a contribution on the treasure island development authority. i thank you for your

consideration and the opportunity to speak here today. supervisor campos: thank you. i appreciate your comments. if we could now please call larry mazzolo, jr. welcome to the rules committee. good morning. >> good morning. i am the assistant business manager of plumbers and pipes union local 38 san francisco. i'm a native san franciscan, who has lived and worked in san francisco my whole life. after completing the plumbing apprenticeship program and working in the trades as a plumber, i have served the last 17 years as a full-time officer in the union, and i have held the position i'm in for the last seven years. i'm currently chairman of local 38, the board of trustees, overseeing over $150 million in assets. i'm also chairman of the pacific coast shipyard pension fund, which oversees over $60 million

in assets, and i'm a trustee on the ua international trading fund board of trustees. i'm also president of the bay city metal trades council, delegate to the san francisco building trades council, and a member of the san francisco labor council executive committee. a chance to serve on the treasure island development authority presents a unique opportunity to use my skills and the dish -- in negotiating contracts, experience in representing workers, and background in project labor agreements to assist the city and the authority in ensuring that the redevelopment project benefits the city, its workers, and its residents. i have watched this former naval base sit idle for the last 13 years or so with so much potential to provide jobs, housing, open space, and much needed economic benefits, and

i'm thrilled that the time has finally come for this project to get under way. if appointed, i plan to focus on job creation and making sure that when the project's start, all workers are working under the state working conditions. currently, building trade workers are experiencing up to 35% unemployment, and in some cases, more. the fact that this redevelopment project is creating a brand new neighborhood for san francisco offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make a real difference for san franciscans. i will work closely with organizations like the treasure island home was development initiative, job corp and other agencies to provide economic opportunities for the formerly homeless, low-income, and economically disadvantaged. i would also work to insure that the current residents of t.i. are not displaced by the

redevelopment project. and that arrangements are made to account for their return to new units as soon as possible. i would be dedicated to finding solutions to issues such as transportation and congested and the building of new on and off ramps for safety. over the years, i have sat on numerous committees and have taken a lead role as president or chairman in many of them. my experience on these various boards has prepared me to evaluate issues openly and fairly and the work of my fellow board members to make the best decision. if appointed, i would look forward to hearing from constituents and residents about the issues that come before the authority. i care about san francisco, its residents, and its workers, and therefore, would value being part of such a large-scale project that would provide tremendous opportunity for this great city. i'm honored that mayor newsom has put my name forward for this rule on the authority board, and

ask for your support. supervisor campos: thank you very much. any comments or questions? seeing none, before we turn it over -- open it up to public comment, i see that the director of operations is here. did you want to say anything? >> [inaudible] just assurances in reviewing what mr. daly commented on. the mayor has set forth an application process that will result in at least one tenet being appointed to the board. i also remind the committee at this time that there are four residents that serve on the community advisory board -- supervisor campos: if i may, a supervisor mar -- if i may, supervisor mar. supervisor mar: do you know when

that appointment what happened? >> no, not at this time. we hope to have a wide variety of reasons -- resumes to go through. supervisor mar: but there is a commitment to the -- from the mayor's office to appoint a resident to the committee? >> yes. supervisor alioto-pier: it is also my understanding the major part of the request two weeks ago. is that correct? thus far, we have one applicant, it is my understanding, and i'm just curious -- will we be doing more out reach -- outreach to insure we get more applicants? being out there more than two weeks, it seems we should have gotten more than just one at this point. >> i know that the tenants are very involved. mark connors will be speaking to you shortly. they have been organized and

will put forth applications. supervisor alioto-pier: it is my understanding from the mayor's office that they have a commitment to appoint that person as soon as someone is found some time after november 15. is that your understanding as well? >> yes. supervisor alioto-pier: thank you. supervisor campos: i think it is good you are doing that, but i'm trying to understand why -- and let me say a couple of things. first, actually do not have problems with any of the specific people that have been put forward. i think each one of them brings something to the table. other colleagues may have specific issues about some of them. i'm not sure, but what i do not understand is why the mayor's office would not seek involvement from the residence before -- the residents before these kinds of appointments are forwarded?

why would you wait until you have actually heard from the residence to do something like this? should that not be already part of the process that you follow? why are you waiting until after the fact to actually ask residents if they are interested in being on this agency? >> respectfully, the process with regards to appointment by the mayor's office -- is decided by the mayor's office, so i cannot answer those questions for you. supervisor campos: maybe if we could ask someone from the mayor's office. is there anyone here from the mayor's office? thank you for your comments. >> supervisors, how are you? this is a process where we are at a point where we are going to be coming to you in other boards and commissions middle to early next year with the entire entitlement, so while we are

fully committed to putting forward a resident, and that will happen shortly after november 15, we still want the project to move forward and make sure we have forums and people seated. we are fully committed to that, but you are getting a packet of appointees before that also. supervisor campos: ultimately, it is not your call, and i appreciate you are here to do your job, but i still do not understand why the mayor's office did not seek input and involvement from the mayor's office before finalizing the entire package of the names that have put forward. i do not understand that at all. >> i just want you to understand we are committed to putting a resident forward. supervisor campos: just a final question -- with these appointments, my understanding is there remains still a vacancy, that that is the

vacancy for which you are still seeking applications. >> yes, there is currently one additional seat. supervisor campos: we tend to provide a lot of deference to the names the mayer puts forward. in particular, when you have someone already serving on these commissions, and there is already an island residents serving on this commission. it seems the simplest thing to do would be to put that name forward. why did that not happen? >> there are numerous issues facing the island and the redevelopment of the island. what happens to existing residence is a big question and one we are taking extremely seriously. how the island gets built, how much open space, how much affordable housing, the entire affordable housing, the entire entitlement cap coming before